Portable, reversible dance floor



May 13, 1958 H. B. MUELLER 2,834,065

PORTABLE, REVERSIBLE DANCE FLOOR Filed March 6, 1953 rECcJ.

:lil

- INVENTOR .TToRA/Ey.

PORTABLE, REVERSHBLE DANCE FLOOR Herbert B. Mueller, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 6, 1953, Serial No. 340,791

2 Claims. (Cl. 20-6) This invention relates to portable reversible danceooring, and more particularly to a portable dance flooring provided withimproved means for maintaining its connected parts dependably in placein the laid or operable position.

yIt is an object of the present invention to improve upon the portabledance floors which form the subject matter of Patents No. 2,019,692, andNo. 2,102,086, respectively issued to me November 5, 1936, and December14, 1937.

In said patented oor structures each floor section consists of boards ornarrow strips which have to be secured together 'in the manufacture ofthe door, and although they form a good floor, yet not so desirable afloor as that provided by the present invention.

My invention relates to a dual-surface interlocking portable oor, itsprincipal use is to provide a decorative and practical resilient doorfor dancing in the home.

The principal object of my invention is to facilitate a quick change ofthe surface design or pattern in a sectional movable dance oor, by theuse of either surface or a combination of alternate surfaces in joiningthe sections together in the desired pattern.

Another object of my invention is to laminate a diler-` ent design and/or colors on opposite sides of a section of lvlasonite or similar sheetmaterial, and to provide a means for securely joining the sectionstogether by turning a locking device from either side -of a section.

A further object of my invention is to prevent the aforementioned floorfrom moving when laid over Woven carpeting, by anchoring the same -tothe Warp in the carpet.

Dancing upon the portable, laid floor will cause it'to creep in relationto the underlying carpet unless it is securely anchored to the latter.

A still further object of the present invention is to improve upon oorsconstructed of wood lby providing novel plastic and steel structures tostilen and strengthen the floor and to prevent its edge portions frombreaking.

In carrying out the objects of the present invention square oor panelsor sections are provided, which are securable to each other with theiredges abutting in a floor forming assembly.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will p hereinafterappear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferredembodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a dance oor constructed inaccordance with my invention, upper portions of the oor being brokenaway in four places so as to show structure that would be hidden. Inthis view six oor panels are completely shown, together with fragmentsof associated panels.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary vertical section yon line 2 2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, horizontal section illustrating oneof the locking devices. Line 3--3 of Fig. 4 indicates the plane ofsection.

rates Patent 'wie Fig. 4 is 'a fragmentary vertical section on line 4 4of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the flanged clips which are usedto prevent lateral displacement of the tl-oor panels or sections.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of th panels illustratingthe tongue and groove portions thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawing, this improved port-r able floor istherein shown as comprising an assembly of inner square panels 10 andouter square floor panel-s 11, these panels all being constructed insubstantially the same way, but dilferent reference characters beingapplied to the outer panels from the inner ones for convenience indescription.

By preference and as shown, each of these panelsconsists of a middlelamina 15, an upper plastic lamina 16, and a lower plastic lamina 17.Sai-d middle lamina is preferably made of a tempered plastic, such asMas-onite, and said upper Iand lower lamina are preferably made of Vinolor other, firm durable plastic substance having a smooth, hard outerfinish.

In the laid floorsaid panel-s Iabut each other in an edgewise manner,there being a tongue and groove lit between the abutting panels as bestillustrated in Figs. l and 6. Said tongues and grooves occupy `onlyabout the central third of the width ofthe middle lamina, the tonguesbeing formed by gluing, or otherwise securing, metal stri-ps into theaforesaid grooves where desired.

In order to secure to each other the adjacent panels of the laid oor,tool operable, swingable hooks 25 cooperate with vertical pins 26. Eachof said hooks is provided with a tool socket 27 located at the axisabout which the hook swings. These hooks need not be further describedsince they are substantially the same as the hooks used for a similarpurpose described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,102,086.

In order to provide a clear operating `space for each of said hooks 25(each hook 'being located in an edge portion of a panel), the edgeportion of the middle lamina 15 of the hook carrying panel is providedwith `a semicircular recess 30 and the adjacent panel edge is likewiseprovided with an opposed recess 31 formed by cutting away throughsomewhat more than a semicircle the edge portion of the middle Ilamina15 of the adjacent tongue carrying panel. Each said pin 26, as shown inFig. 4, cxtends through all three laminae of the panel which carries it,and each swingable hook 25 likewise has its bea-rings partly in theupper and lower lamina of the panel in which itis mounted.

Two types of anchor plates or clips are provided to hold the laid flooragainst creeping or lateral shifting, All of the panels (both 10 and11), are held in part, inwardly spaced from their margins, by smallanchor plates 35 which underlie the panels in the laid floor, pin-s 36upstanding from said plates 35 and projecting upwardly into the panels.Each of said anchor plates is suitably perforated to receive a pluralityof small pointed pins 37 which `are so short that they do` not rea-chthe floor 39 which underlies the carpet 40, a Isuitable thin pad 41being interposed between said carpet and oor. Said ycarpet is showncomprising a nap 40a which is sufficiently compressible to allow thethin anchor plates to embed themselves therein when the assembled panelsare superimposed upon them.

Marginal anchor plates or clips 45 are also provided for the laid ooreach of these plates having a Hat, rectangular body portion 46 andlacross one end an upstanding channel forming flange or hook portion 47.The channel or open side of the hook portion is directed toward the'body portion of the plate and completely spans the edge portion of theportable oor. These anchor plates have through their body portions aplurality of small kapertures 4`8` to receive pins 49' like theaforesaid pins 37 and dimensioned to extend downwardly to the sameextent.

Preparatory to putting the floor forming panels in place, straight marksmay be made on the carpet indicating where the edges ofthe laid panelassembly will be located, Iand' said marks thenY be used as guides forputting the oor in place. Clips 47 are place-d under the edge of the`Hoor after it has been laid, only on the sides in which direction thenap leans. Also plates 35 need not be placed in all sections,` but areonly used where needed to keep the oor from creeping. As the workmanproceeds to put the various panels in place he will slip the pins 36 ofthe interior anchor plates' through suitable perforations that have beenprovided forrthem in said panels, the anchor pins 37 having beenpreviously projected into' said plates 35 in afriction tight mannerwithV their point portions projecting as shown.

As the layingfof the floor proceeds the tongues 21 will be inserted intothe grooves 20 with which they co-operate, and the lhooks 25 (initiallyconiined to the semicircular recesses 30), will be swung by the use of asuitable tool into interlocking relation to the pins 26, thus securelylocking together the adjacent panels ofthe laid 25 panels being square,one or more of them may be removed from' the laid' and replaced afterbeing given one or more quarter turns.

I claim:

1. The combination, with a portable laid oor, of angular clips havingelongated horizontal 'body portions and upstanding from end portions ofsaid body portions hook portions abutted internally by and completelyspanning marginal porti-ons of said floor, and pins extending throughsaid body portions into an underlying carpet, said pins terminatingsuperjacent to the oor upon which the carpet rests, so that the floorunder the carpet is unmarred by said pins.

2. The combination, with a portable laid floor, a carpet upon which saiddoor is superimposed, and a permanent floor underlying said carpet; ofhorizontal anchor plates between `said oor and carpet, and fasteningmeans securing said plates both to said portable floor and to saidcarpet, said fastening' means having point portions terminatingsuperjacent to the permanent floor.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS656,196 Lovejoy Aug. 21, 1900 1,054,424` Kennedy Feb. 25, 1'91-31,073,416 Giller et al. Sept. 16, 1913 1,101,318 Myers Iune 23, 19141,236,217 Shaw v Aug. 7, 1917 1,416,051 Muller May 16, 1922 1,667,937Kernochan May 1, 1928 1,898,364 Gynn Feb. 2l, 1933 2,019,692 MuellerNOV. 5, 1935 2,085,215 Gonzalez June 29, 1-937 2,102,086 Mueller Dee.14, 1937 2,731,660- Whi'te Jan. 24, 19'56

